Feature Story
Ms. Hockey Award down to top five finalists
The five finalists for the 13th annual
Ms. Hockey Award are forward Emily Erickson of Grand Rapids/Greenway, forward
Sarah Erickson of
The Ms. Hockey Award is presented to the
top senior girls’ high school hockey player in
Alphabetically, here is a look at the
five finalists for the 2008
Emily Erickson, Grand Rapids/Greenway
Erickson leads Grand Rapids/Greenway with
41 goals and 30 assists for 71 points through 27 games. Her 41 goals rank fifth
in the state, while her 71 points rank tied for fourth.
A team captain this season, Erickson has
helped Grand Rapids/Greenway to a
“Emily has explosive speed, a nice shot
and is crafty with the puck,” Grand Rapids/Greenway head coach Chris Granley said. “She wants the puck on her stick in key
situations of the game. A leader on and off the ice, Emily
cares more about the success of her team and success of her teammates than her
own. She makes the players around
her better hockey players.”
Owning a 3.916 GPA and a class
rank of 4 out of 64 at
In addition to her elite hockey ability,
Erickson is a member of the varsity tennis, track & field and softball
teams.
Following high school, Erickson will
continue her hockey career at
“Emily is an ambassador for the sport of
hockey,” Granley said. “She is very active in the
community in many different capacities and shows great pride in her school.
Whether it be in a leadership role or a supportive
role, Emily tries to put others in situations where they will have success and
build self confidence.”
Sarah Erickson,
Despite missing six games in helping the
U.S. Women’s National Under-18 Team capture the first-ever gold medal awarded
at the inaugural International Ice Hockey Federation World Women’s U18
Championship, Erickson leads
The captain of both the
Lumberjacks and the U.S. Under-18 Team, Erickson has posted 12 multi-goal
games, including six contests with three or more lamplighters. She notched a
season-high five points (4-1--5) in
“Sarah is, in my opion
and in the opinion of many others the best high school player in
Away from the ice, Erickson owns a 3.7
GPA and is a two-time
Following high school, Erickson will
continue her hockey career at the
“Obviously, Sarah has been a ‘treasure’
for us,” Menne said. “When she came to
Anne Schleper,
A two-year captain of the St. Cloud
Icebreakers and one of the state’s most heralded defensemen, Schleper wrapped up her high school career earlier this
week with a quarterfinal loss to St. Cloud Tech in the Section 8AA Tournament.
For the season, Schleper
led the Icebreakers in scoring with 26 goals and 19 assists for 45 points,
ranking third in the state among defensemen and outpacing her nearest teammate
(a forward) by 21 points. She recorded 15 multi-point games, including a
five-point showing against
A teammate of Sarah Erickson’s at the
Under-18 World Championships, Schleper was held
without a point in only one game this season (Jan. 10 vs. St. Cloud Tech). She
will finish her high school hockey career with 114 goals and 66 assists in five
years as a varsity player.
“Anne is a natural leader on the ice and
off. Her teammates look to her to score goals, but also for encouragement,
leadership and support,“ Icebreakers head coach Mark Chamernick said. “The Icebreakers would not be very
successful without Anne Schleper. At the end of her
sophomore year, the captains and coaches selected her as a ‘rotating’ captain
because she illustrated hard work, determination and enthusiasm for hockey.”
At
A three-sport athlete, Schleper excels at any sport. She has received
all-conference honors in soccer, hockey and softball. She will continue her
hockey career at the
“Anne has donated her time throughout the
school year and summer for different organizations that need some type of
assistance,” Chamernick said. “Teachers routinely
describe Anne as an outstanding student who will help another student at any
time.”
Kelly Seeler,
Another of the state’s elite defenseman, Seeler has been a major reason Eden Prairie has posted an
overall record of 131-11-2 since Seeler joined the varisty team as an eighth grader. In addition to leading
the Eagles to two state tournaments (3rd in 2004, 1st in 2006), Seeler helped EP set a state record in 2006 as the team
allowed only 22 goals in 31 games.
Offensively, Seeler
is second in the state in scoring among defensemen this season with 14 goals
and 34 assists. On the team, her 48 points trail only forward Melissa Feste – a Ms. Hockey top 10 finalist. On the year, Seeler has notched 14 multi-point games, including a
five-point performance against Bloomington Jefferson in December. She has been
held without a point in only three games this season.
Seeler also has shown how important she is on the ice by
accumulating a plus/minus rating of over +300 during her high school career,
including a +104 mark in 2005-06. Seeler and the
Eagles were one win away from advancing to the state tournament when this issue
went to print.
“Kelly has been one of our most dominant
players over the past five seasons,”
When she’s not helping one of the most
dominant teams in the state to another win, Seeler is
an excellent student who has also been very active in the community. The
recipient of the MSHSL Spotlight on Scholarship Gold award last season for
excellence in the classroom while participating in an MSHSL activity, Seeler maintains a 3.4 GPA and has consistently been on
Last fall, she organized the collection
of used hockey equipment that would be donated to under-privileged youth. With
her guidance, Seeler and her teammates collected
enough equipment to fill a 12-foot truck with equipment for the “DinoMights Hockey in the Hood” program.
Following high school, Seeler will continue her hockey career at the
“Kelly has proven over her high school
career that she has been more than willing to help other people and to give
back to her community,” Morris said. “She is a great role model to younger
student athletes. She understands that everyone is important and that there is
no substitute for hard work and sacrifice.”
Lauren Smith, Holy Angels
The state’s leading scorer with 60 goals
and 38 assists for 98 points, Smith saw her high school career come to a close
earlier this week with Holy Angels’ 2-1 overtime loss to
For the 2007-08 season,
Holy Angels scored 151 goals in a
She recorded 12 hat tricks this season,
including three four-goal games and five-goal showings against Red Wing (Jan.
8, Jan. 31). Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that Smith was held under
two points in only five games in 2007-08. She had three five-point games, four
six-point games, and one each of a seven- and eight-point game.
“Lauren is the most complete hockey
player I have had the privilege to coach,” Holy Angels head coach Jaime
Grossman said. “She has top level speed, power, hands and scoring touch, but
her best quality is her competitiveness. She refuses to be second best and has
a constant drive to excel at hockey.”
When not lighting the lamp on the ice,
Smith has volunteered her time with several community organizations, including
Loaves and Fishes, a group that serves food through various churches.
In the classroom, Smith maintains a 3.5
GPA and has been named an academic honor roll scholar of distinction at the
Following high school, she will continue
her hockey career at
“Lauren is an ambassador to the game,”
Grossman said. “She has given her time to volunteer at summer hockey camps with
kids to share her passion for the game. She is a great student and is an
advocate for kids/athletes not engaging in destructive behaviors.”
The runners-up for the 2008 Ms. Hockey
Award are Eden Prairie forward Melissa Feste,
Alexandria defenseman Ashley Holmes, Elk River forward Monique Weber, Hastings
forward Danielle Welch and Cretin-Derham Hall
defenseman Kelly Wild.
In addition to on-ice talent, criteria for the Ms. Hockey Award includes academics,
community/extracurricular activities, citizenship and coachability.
The 2007 Ms. Hockey winner was Katharine
Chute of Blake. Other past winners include: Allie Thunstrom
of North St. Paul (2006), Gigi Marvin of Warroad
(2005), Erica McKenzie of Hastings (2004), Andrea Nichols of Hibbing/Chisholm
(2003), Ashley Albrecht of South St. Paul (2002), Renee Curtin of Roseville
(2001), Krissy Wendell of Park Center (2000), Ronda
Curtin of Roseville (1999), Laura Slominski of
Burnsville (1998), Annamarie Holmes of Apple Valley
(1997) and Winny Brodt of
Roseville (1996).
Other awards that will be presented at
the banquet include the Let’s Play Hockey Senior Goalie of the Year
Award, which goes to the top senior goalie in girls’ high school hockey, as
well as the Minnesota Girls High School Hockey Coaches Association’s Coach of
the Year, and All-State and All-Academic Award winners for the 2007-08 season.
Tickets for the banquet are $25 and
include lunch. Only the top five finalists for the Ms. Hockey Award and the
Senior Goalie of the Year receive complimentary tickets. Tickets must be
purchased prior to Friday, Feb. 22, by calling Let’s Play Hockey at
612-729-0023.